The social network's algorithm is a mysterious beast and unfortunately, the post doesn't unlock the exact formula that determines how it makes its rankings. But it is a window into how Facebook sees itself. There's an algorithm picking your stories, but there are people telling that algorithm how to act.

In the wake of a series of Gizmodo reports this spring that accused Facebook of suppressing conservative news, the document also feels like a further defense of its own neutrality. "We are not in the business of picking which issues the world should read about," the company writes.